Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Prediction: Pakistan were clinical in the first game

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are going head to head against each other at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24th July. Pakistan was clinical in the first game, ending their 365 days winless streak. Who will win this game?

After being thoroughly outplayed in the 1st Test match, Sri Lanka will undoubtedly feel disappointed with the result. They now have a few days to regroup and stage a stronger comeback in Colombo.

One of the positives in an otherwise lacklustre performance by the hosts was their batting display. Despite losing early wickets in the first innings, Sri Lanka managed to post a respectable total of 312, courtesy of an outstanding century by all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva. His good form carried over to the second innings, where he fought valiantly with a gritty half-century, even though it couldn't secure a victory for the team. Angelo Mathews and Nishan Madushka also played well, but they will be expected to contribute more significantly in the upcoming match. The onus will be on skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama to convert their starts into substantial innings, as they failed to do so in the previous game.

Turning to the bowling department, the spinners, Ramesh Mendis, and Prabath Jayasuriya, performed admirably, accounting for 13 of the 16 Pakistani wickets that fell. However, the seamers, Kasun Rajitha, and Vishwa Fernando, struggled to find their rhythm.

Above all, the most significant improvement needs to be made in the fielding department. Sri Lanka dropped several straightforward chances, and their ground fielding was rather sloppy throughout the match. Rectifying these fielding issues will be crucial for their chances of bouncing back in the next game.

Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushka, Vishwa Fernando

After being thoroughly outplayed in the 1st Test match, Sri Lanka will undoubtedly feel disappointed with the result. They now have a few days to regroup and stage a stronger comeback in Colombo.

One of the positives in an otherwise lacklustre performance by the hosts was their batting display. Despite losing early wickets in the first innings, Sri Lanka managed to post a respectable total of 312, courtesy of an outstanding century by all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva. His good form carried over to the second innings, where he fought valiantly with a gritty half-century, even though it couldn't secure a victory for the team. Angelo Mathews and Nishan Madushka also played well, but they will be expected to contribute more significantly in the upcoming match. The onus will be on skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama to convert their starts into substantial innings, as they failed to do so in the previous game.

Turning to the bowling department, the spinners, Ramesh Mendis, and Prabath Jayasuriya, performed admirably, accounting for 13 of the 16 Pakistani wickets that fell. However, the seamers, Kasun Rajitha, and Vishwa Fernando, struggled to find their rhythm.

Above all, the most significant improvement needs to be made in the fielding department. Sri Lanka dropped several straightforward chances, and their ground fielding was rather sloppy throughout the match. Rectifying these fielding issues will be crucial for their chances of bouncing back in the next game.

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi

The pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club offers good conditions for batting, especially during the initial days of the match. Typically, the average first-inning score on this ground is around 340. While the faster bowlers might find some early movement, the pitch tends to become more placid as the game advances. Chasing a total of over 200 runs in the fourth inning could prove to be challenging. Unfortunately, there is a forecast for rain during the first three days of the match, which could result in interruptions to the gameplay. Pakistan were good on all fronts in the first game and we expect them to continue their form in the second game as well. Sri Lanka has many improvements to do in a short time and we expect Pakistan to win this game as well.